Prostate-LODER

PT-LODER for Prostate Cancer

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) estimated the number of new cases and deaths from prostate cancer, a cancer that forms in tissues of the prostate and usually occurs in older men, to be 233,000 and 29,480, respectively (in the United States in 2014). Silenseed is developing a new generation LODER (“LODER-slow”), with the goal of enabling a very long period of siRNA release, up to about two years. LODER-slow would improve drug distribution and avoid multiple insertion procedures. In pre-clinical in-vitro and in-vivo studies we have identified several targets, among which two are currently are selected as the best candidates for future exploration. Silenseed is still studying more targets. The first, polycomb complex protein BMI-1 (“candidate BM”), plays an important role in the late progression of pancreatic cancer and may represent a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of pancreatic cancer. The second, neurophilin and tolloid-like 2 NETO-2 (“candidate NE”), has enhanced expression in cancer stem cells. It is highly expressed in prostate cancer stem cells and is correlated with tumor cell initiation. Silenseed is studying these candidates as they may have the potential to pose a new and competitive treatment for prostate cancer, specifically aimed at the long periods of local disease. LODER-prostate may either compete with, or complete the current treatments, which included radiotherapy, surgery, cryosurgery, and hormonal therapies.